Bog hop - [fearsome critter]

Bog hop. - [fearsome critter] - (Latin: Castoracles platycerous.)

• About this critter: A Small, Shy mini-Moose-Beaver hybrid that lives along the north shore of lake superior Minnesota & up towards the border of Canada. - When it is surprised by someone in a canoe, it catapults itself, slapping the waters using its strong beaver like tail hopping along the waters surface & disappears into the swamp. - The creature is shy and quite sensitive to loud noises, so perhaps thats why they haven't been seen much lately...

Bog hops might occasionally be confused with the Billdad (Given the similar location & chimerical flavour.) like the billdad It also known to slap the waters surface (they are often blamed for the mysterious sounds such as something splashing or being dropped when there would be no other logical source.)unlike the billdad there’s no record of anyone eating one ...but fiven what happened to bill, I would personally avoid eating either animal. (just incase.)

 • History: The Bog Hop was one of a few critters included in Minnesota history [1940] recounted by Marjorie Edgar. (A Marine & Girl Scout Leader) she says that she and her troop heard about the rare animal from a trapper whilst camping North of Lusten, she recounted it as such:

[a photo of Marjorie Edgar in uniform during the 1920s (Left) via girl scouts archive.]

[Another article about the bog hop from 1944.]

The creature was first illustrated much later (& classified) in 1969, by Professor Walker D Wyman in his "Mythical Creatures of the U.S.A and Canada." - he supposed that it probably is a mythical creature native only to Minnesota, as beavers and moose are found commonly around the 10,000 lakes in the area.

Later the bog hop was rhymed about in lenwoods lexicon of lumber woods lore. [2006] 

Art sticker by @samkalensky, part of my fearsome critters collection of stickers check my shop for many more.